Women-Wrestlers’ Pose in Calendar “Champion Mom”

2013 Champion Alina Makhynia said that she wants to prove that female wrestlers can combine strength and femininity

uatv

08.11.2018

Ukrainian women wrestlers took part in a photo shoot for a calendar, titled “Champion Mom.” Their shoot was organized by the Ukrainian Wrestling Association.

One of them, 2018 world champion in freestyle wrestling Alla Cherkasova, posed for a photo shoot with her 5-year-old son Ihor.

“We’re not used to this job, so it was hard to do it. We are used to wrestling. We have been doing it for over 10 years now, we’ve learned to do it well. I guess both of these activities are difficult for me. But I think that if you offered a model to wrestle, the answer would be definite,” Cherkasova said.

“At first I really enjoyed being photographed, but then I got bored because it lasted so long. When my shoot was finally over I decided it was time to go and eat pizza,” Cherkasova’s son, Ihor Melnyk said.

Alina Makhynia, the 2013 world champion, is the youngest mother at the photo shoot. Her daughter Leona is just 1-year-old. Her husband, Judoka Dmytro Berezhnyi, came to support his family. Makhynia said that she wants to prove that female wrestlers can combine strength and femininity.

“To be honest all of us are really feminine and beautiful. We are good wives and caring mothers. What we do for a living doesn’t affect our everyday life. In the ring, we are strong and powerful. But this is a sport. It’s our job. At home, we are ordinary women – wives, mothers,” Makhynia said.

Iryna Merleni was among the first women who became an Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling back in 2004 when the sport was first opened for female athletes. Now, she’s retired from wrestling and devotes her time to singing, playing the piano, pole dancing and spending time with her two sons – Artur and Adam.

“The concept of the photo shoot is to take pictures of mothers with their kids. I have two sons, who are athletes as well. They really like to keep me company during various events and enjoy being photographed. For this photo shoot, their hairdresser changed their outfits and readied their hair for the camera, Merleni said.

The calendar will be ready at the beginning of December. It will be sold at wrestling tournaments across Ukraine.

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